Or so says Travis Browne (12-0-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC), who is chomping at the bit for a rematch with Cheick Kongo (17-6-2 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) after watching the French heavyweight fight Matt Mitrione (5-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) a week ago at UFC 137.

Kongo handed prospect Mitrione his first professional defeat in five fights. He cinched the win by taking the former NFL lineman down in the third round and punishing from up top to earn a unanimous-decision victory.

Browne said Kongo will have no such luck with him.

“He knows that he’s not going to get me down like that, and I think he knows that it’s going to be a standup fight,” he said.

While Mitrione repeatedly chased down that kind of action against Kongo, he was never able to build any sort of momentum.

“The difference is I come forward,” Browne said. “I’m not going to be like Matt and give him that much (space) and let him get into his rhythm. I’m ready to go forward for three rounds, just like Matt said he was going to do, but he only did it in the second. I’m willing and prepared to go all three rounds.

“I know I hit harder than Matt. When I hit Kongo, I put him on queer street a couple of times in the first round. I’m ready to go all three rounds, push the pace, and I’m going to be looking for the knockout.”

When Browne and Kongo met more than a year ago at UFC 120, it was anything but a slugfest. Browne surged early and faded late, and Kongo surged ahead in later rounds, controlling the action against the cage. Kongo would have won the fight if not for a point deduction issued for grabbing Browne’s shorts. Instead, it ended in a draw.

The experience bothered Browne so much that he’s made a wardrobe change.

“I’ve taken the necessary steps in both my attire and my training to avoid all those instances,” he said. “I’ve changed to vale tudo shorts, which you can’t grab on to, and my conditioning is going to be way better, so he’s not going to be able to pin me up against the cage no matter how long the fight goes.”

More than that, though, Browne said he’s matured as a fighter and is now equipped with the pressure that he maybe wasn’t when he fought Kongo, which was only his second UFC fight.

“When the cage door closed, I was kind of like, ‘Holy crap, that’s Cheick Kongo,'” Browne said. “I’ve seen him knock people out when I was sitting my fat ass on the couch.’ This time, it’s a little bit different. I have more confidence in my abilities.”

Now, it’s getting the UFC to invest in those abilities, and perhaps, groom the next contender to the heavyweight title.

“He’s right there in between me and breaking into the top 10,” Browne said. “It would definitely propel me and my career at the right time this time.”

Browne struggled to put away his most recent opponent, Rob Broughton, when the two faced off in mile-high Denver for UFC 135. The fight and a subsequent bout between Mark Hunt and Ben Rothwell drew critics who said the heavyweights never should have fought in a place where oxygen was so thin. But Browne believes he pushed past fatigue to dominate the Brit. If only the Brit weren’t so tough-chinned, he might have earned a bonus as in his previous performance, a knockout of Stefan Struve at UFC 130 that put an extra $70,000 in his pocket.

If the UFC elects to pair Kongo with say, Roy Nelson, or another heavyweight, Browne will fight whomever is put in front of him. But he’d like a chance to straighten out the record.

“I feel like I’m a different fighter than when I first faced him,” Browne said.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.